Japanese Cleaning Tips

1. Discard what doesn’t bring you joy.

Simply putting things away makes us think that our clutter problem has been solved. However sooner or later the clutter begins to pile up and we are eventually left with even less space and more frustration.

That’s why the first step to maintaining a clean and organized home starts with discarding things that we don’t really want or need.

To make the discarding process easier, Kondo suggests taking each item and asking yourself, “Does this spark joy?” If it does keep it, if it doesn’t throw it away.

2. Tidy by category instead of by room.

When you begin your discarding process, Kondo recommends thinking of your clutter in terms of categories instead of by room.

For example, the category you would like to declutter first would be “clothes”. So you would gather all of the clothes in your house and place them in one spot. You will take each individual garment and ask, “Does this spark joy?” and thus begin the separation of things you will keep or toss.

By doing this, it allows you to quietly dispose of junk without disrupting your family as well as simplifies the process of tidying up.

3. Fold items vertically.

According to Kondo, you should always try your best to fold what you can hang. In other words, instead of hanging sweaters and shirts it’s better to fold and place them in your clothing drawer.

Similar to how the spines of books are displayed, she also recommends folding items vertically and placing them side by side instead of stacking on top of each other.

This makes it easier to view and select clothes without making a mess.

4. Show deep appreciation for your belongings.

For the Japanese, many share a cultural belief that items in the home have a soul.

With this in mind, Kondo suggest “thanking” items for their hard work and service before discarding them. This provides one with a deeper appreciation and a little closure before tossing items you no longer need.

5. Dedicate a whole day to cleaning.

When deciding to declutter your home, you want to set up a single day for the entire process. Deciding to split your cleaning into separate days may cause your cleaning efforts to be ineffective and go on longer than required.

6. Shoeboxes are the best organizers.

Shoeboxes are an item that’s found readily available in anyone’s home. Kondo believes that these are the perfect organizers and should be repurposed as such.

7. Live in the present.

When you begin to discard items, do not get attached to the memories. “Cherish who you are are now” says Kondo. In the end, you want to want to keep things that you love and get rid of things that you have “just because”. The purpose of decluttering this way is that in the end you are only surrounding by things that “spark joy” and truly makes you happy.

For full details on the KonMari Method you can check out the book on Amazon or at your nearest bookstore.